‘Who you gonna call’

Ghostbusters is a 2016 American supernatural comedy film directed by Paul Feig (who began his movie career in 1987 as an actor in Zombie High) from a screenplay co-written with Katie Dippold. The film’s working title was Ghostbusters 3 and it is a gender-swapped reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise.

Principal filming took place in Boston and New York City from June to September 2015. The film, which has reported budget of $154 million, is scheduled for a July 15, 2016 release in 3D and Real D 3D.

Main cast:

Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Neil Casey and Andy García.

Plot:

Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy) are a pair of unheralded authors who write a book positing thatghosts are real. A few years later, Gilbert lands a prestigious teaching position at Columbia University, but her book resurfaces and she is laughed out of academia.

When ghosts invade Manhattan, Gilbert reunites with Yates, plus Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon), a nuclear engineer, and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), an NYC subway worker, to save the world…

Cast and characters:

• Kristen Wiig as Erin Gilbert, a published author on the subject of the paranormal and professor at Columbia University
• Melissa McCarthy as Abby Yates, who co-authored the book with Gilbert
• Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann, a nuclear engineer and Yates’ new partner
• Leslie Jones as Patty Tolan, an NYC subway worker who stumbles across the main supernatural threat in the film.
• Chris Hemsworth as Kevin, the Ghostbusters’ receptionist
• Neil Casey as Rowan, the villain
• Andy García as the Mayor of New York City
• Elizabeth Perkins
• Cecily Strong
• Michael K. Williams as Hawkins
• Matt Walsh as Rourke
• Pat Kiernan as a News Anchor

Cameos:

• Dan Aykroyd
• Ernie Hudson
• Bill Murray
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Annie Potts
• Sigourney Weaver

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘No matter which road you choose, it’s all going South’

Southbound is a 2015 American horror anthology film featuring five interconnected tales: ‘The Way Out’, ‘Siren’, ‘The Accident’, ‘Jailbreak’ and ‘The Way In’ from directors Radio Silence (V/H/S), David Bruckner (V/H/S; The Signal), Patrick Horvath (The Pact II) and Roxanne Benjamin.

The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It will receive a limited theatrical release on February 5, 2016, followed by a VOD release on February 9 via The Orchard.

Main cast:

Kate Beahan (The Wicker Man [2006]), Chad Villella (V/H/S; Devil’s Due), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love, Kristina Pesic, Hannah Marks, Dana Gould, Mather Zickel, David Yow, Matt Peters, Maria Olsen,Davey Johnson and Larry Fessenden (We Are Still Here; Pod; Body).

Plot:

On a desolate stretch of desert highway, weary travellers – two men on the run from their past, a band on their way to the next gig, a man struggling to get home, a brother in search of his long-lost sister and a family on vacation – are forced to confront their worst fears and darkest secrets…

Reviews:

“Though laced with moments of shocking – and well executed – violence Southbound exists less within the strictures of contemporary horror than it does within the worlds of EC Comics and The Twilight Zone, with the stories emphasizing strong characters and big ideas more than mere splatter…” Todd Brown, Twitch

” … a very conventional anthology work, in that much of it is inconsequential although even at it’s worst it moves along at a decent enough pace (and with enough style) that it’s always worth sitting through to get to the good bits.” Chris Bumbray, Arrow in the Head

” … an uncommonly cohesive and intelligent example of the form. Featuring five spooky tales taking place on and around a dusty highway going nowhere, the film avoids the cheap shocks and campy humor seen all too often in such efforts. Although the majority of the entries don’t quite live up to their ambitions, one at least is a gem worthy of The Twilight Zone.” Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

“reminded me of Creepshow in its twisted sense of humor and unpredictability. That’s a major compliment.” Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

” … this anthology of five horror tales is the rare group effort without a dud, as it cruises through variations on the genre with style and confidence.” Nicolas Rapold, Film Comment

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Thrill of a Kill is a 2011 Norwegian micro-budget splatter horror film produced written, photographed, edited and directed by Lars-Erik Lie on a budget equivalent to just $5,000.

Cast:

Kirsten Jakobsen, Arve Herman Tangen, Camilla Vestbø Losvik,  Toril Skansen.

Plot:

After fighting with her mom, Kimsy runs into the woods to cool off, where she meets a friendly photographer. A day of bloodshed and murder follows…

Reviews:

With The Thrill of a Kill, producer/writer/director Lars Erik Lie went all the way in order to make the goriest splatter film ever made in Norway, and additionally, he succeeded in making an entertaining horror film … minor glitches are easily overlooked as the story progresses and the blood squirts faster.” Nordic Fantasy

“The shots are kept tight with a strong range of believable performances by the women actors involved. It never needs to use too many fx as the ones that are captured on camera are shot in a way that make the scenes feel realistic without a large budget to work with.” HorrorNews.net

The film is released on DVD in the US on January 26, 2016, by Wild Eye Raw.

Trailer 1 (mature only):

Trailer 2 (mature only):

International trailer (mature only):

IMDb | Facebook

‘Curiosity can be a killer…’

Splintered is a 2010 British horror film directed by Simeon Halligan (The Blood Lands; Habit) from a screenplay co-written with Stephen Trimingham. Although the film is set in Wales, it was filmed in Lancashire.

Cast:

Stephen Walters (Hannibal Rising; Dracula [2013]), Holly Weston, Sacha Dhawan, Sadie Pickering, Jonathan Readwin, Sol Heras, Colin Tierney, James Roach.

Plot:

Sophie (Holly Weston) is a troubled young girl haunted by the abuse she suffered as a child and harbouring a deep fascination with the unexplained.

In the hope of satiating her obsession with the latter, our heroine instigates a trip to the Welsh countryside with four friends, aimed at tracking down the legendary Beast of Bodmin. It seems the mythical creature – often thought to be a large wildcat or fox – has caught the public’s attention once more thanks to a spate of attacks on livestock and one local farmer.

It is an opportunity Sophie has decided is not to be missed and, armed with a video camera and a case of beer, the group head off into the woods. However, they soon uncover much more than they bargained for, with the female lead falling foul of a mysterious madman who locks her away in an apparent attempt to protect her from some unnamed terror…

Reviews:

” … while the plot might be a little disjointed, the movie barrels forward adroitly with refreshing panache. Images can’t help but tell a story, the power of film making is when those images are compelling enough to illicit emotions that bring you closer to the experience. This is something that Splintered is keenly capable of and delivers on.” Sean Becktel, HorrorNews.net

” … this feels more like an episode of Hollyoaks: when faced with actors with little talent, simply have them argue constantly, so these dead-eyed, bland beauties will at least register as living creatures. Of course, the trouble with this is that they quickly become immensely irritating…” Phelim O’Neill, The Guardian

” … the movie is pretty good. I like when a horror film takes a generic setup (in this case, five kids going into the woods) and ultimately applies it to a different type of movie, and does things differently to boot. Regardless of the killer’s archetype, you assume that the obvious Final Girl will be left alone for the bulk of the film while her friends die one by one after scattering for whatever reason. But nope…” Horror Movie a Day

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“Splintered is definitely a worthwhile experience. The acting is thoroughly professional, it’s handsomely photographed, and the story sails along at a tidy clip. So why did I feel so underwhelmed at the end? Maybe because the movie turned out more like a gothy episode of Law & Order: SVU than the mind-blowing terror that I eternally crave.” Horrific Flicks

Trailer:

IMDb

Cabin Fever is a 2016 American horror film and a remake of the 2002 movie of the same name. It is directed by Travis Zariwny (Intruder) from a screenplay by Randy Pearlstein.

The co-writer and director of the original, Eli Roth (Hostel; The Green Inferno; Knock Knock), is executive producing alongside Evan Astrowsky, Christopher Lemole, and Tim Zajaros.

The film is released on VOD by IFC Midnight on February 12th, with a limited theatrical run.

Cast:

Gage Golightly (Teen Wolf; Exeter), Matthew Daddario, Samuel Davis (From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), Dustin Ingram (Paranormal Activity 3), and Nadine Crocker (Deadgirl).

Plot:

A flesh-eating virus makes a meal of five teens on spring break in a remote wood cabin…

Trailer:

IMDb

‘Fear has a season’

Rites of Spring is a 2011 American horror film written and directed by Padraig Reynolds; he wanted to combine a kidnapping film with a horror film. His main influences were Venom (1981) and The Black Windmill.

Main cast:

A. J. Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Sonny Marinelli, Katherine Randolph, James Bartz, Shanna Forrestall, Hannah Bryan, Skylar Burke, Marco St. John.

Plot:

Rachel Adams and her friend Alyssa Miller are kidnapped by a man known only as the Stranger. The Stranger takes them to his barn, takes a blood sample from both women and gives it to a strange creature kept in a locked hole. The Stranger strips Alyssa naked, puts a goat mask over her head, and takes her away, presumably as part of a pagan death ritual…

Meanwhile, a fractured gang of kidnappers are hiding out in a nearby abandoned school whilst dissent grows amongst their ranks. The gang’s internal strife turns out to be the least of their worries…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

“… there is much that can be applauded about a first-time feature filmmaker taking some major risks with his debut genre-bending experiment by trying to combine elements of the horror and thriller genres and all with limited resources. It’s just unfortunate that the build-up in the film goes absolutely nowhere by the time the credits begin rolling…” Dread Central

“The two narratives can’t possibly intersect, but they do, in a glorious celebration of coincidence. Helmer-writer Padraig Reynolds creates a dizzying pastiche of genre conventions, and he has a terrific actress in Anessa Ramsey, who’s that rare thing in horror, a thoroughly convincing victim.” John Anderson, Variety

“There are double-crosses and surprise connections, and a strong sense of a larger world outside of the one inhabited by Wormface and its disciples. But Rites of Spring’s execution is rarely as inventive as its plotting. The acting is shaky, the scare scenes are fairly stock, and it takes way too long for Reynolds to put all his pieces in play…” Noel Murray, A.V. Club

Buy: Amazon.com

“The cinematographer, Carl Herse, knows his way around genre staples like claustrophobic cornfields, animal carcasses, porcelain-doll heads, voyeur perspectives, decrepit interiors and, of course, the time-honored serial-killer wall, with thumbtacked clippings and photographs about old murders. Nevertheless, Rites of Spring yields a slender bounty.” Andy Webster, The New York Times

“Other details are vague, such as the origin of the creature and why the blood of women keeps it satisfied. Feeding it has something to do with the crops in the area, but that isn’t really explained well either. It feels like ideas were not fully fleshed out before filming commenced. Whatever the reasons for the lack of clarity, a creature feature with no creature sure makes for a frustrating viewing experience.” Shock Till You Drop

Cast and characters:

• A. J. Bowen as Ben Geringer
• Anessa Ramsey as Rachel Adams
• Sonny Marinelli as Paul Nolan
• Katherine Randolph as Amy
• James Bartz as Ryan Hayden
• Shanna Forrestall as Gillian Hayden
• Andrew Breland as Tommy Geringer
• Hannah Bryan as Alyssa Miller
• Sarah Pachelli as Jessica
• Skylar Burke as Kelly Hayden
• Marco St. John as the Stranger
• Jeff Nations as Karmanor/Worm Face

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Victim. Survivor, Avenger.’

Survival Knife is a 2016 horror revenge slasher film directed by Mike McKown (Stiff; Boxed; 60 Seconds to Die; Grindsploitation 2: The Lost Reels) from a screenplay by Jim Towns (House of Bad; Snowfall; 13 Girls) for Robot Monkey Studios.

Main cast:

Danielle Donahue (Amityville Death House; Queen Crab; Bigfoot vs. Zombies), Tara Davis (Alexis), Josh Ebel (Boxed), Chrissy Jenness, Melody Joy, Tom Kolos, Jesse-Lee Lafferty, Bruce Lentz, Dawn Lilly, Kaitlyn Shoeb, Candice Starks.

Press release:

picks up where the typical Hollywood slasher film ends. Penny is the sole survivor of a vicious attack that killed five of her closest friends. To escape, she was forced to brutally kill her would-be murderer. As she begins the slow process of recovering both physically and mentally, she struggles to deal with the violence that happened to her – and the violence she committed herself – and worries that the same killer instinct that helped her survive is slowly turning her into something else…

Filming Locations:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Wild Eye Releasing trailer:

Robot Monkey Studios trailer:

IMDb

Jaani Dushman (“Beloved Enemy”) is a 1979 Indian Bollywood supernatural horror film produced and directed by Rajkumar Kohli from a screenplay by Inder Raj Anand. The soundtrack music was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. It should not be confused with the 2002 film of the same title.

The film stars Sunil Dutt, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Mehra, Rekha, Reena Roy Neetu Singh in lead roles.

Buy soundtrack: Amazon.co.uk

Review:

For a film that’s two and a half hours in length, Jaani Dushman is one of the most frantically, manically edited films I’ve ever seen. We jump from scene to scene, location to location at a breakneck pace. The film only ever comes to a grinding halt in its sometimes shockingly lengthy musical numbers. There’s also a handful of torturous comedy sketches revolving around goofy, cross-eyed characters who seemed to have little to no connection to the movie. It’s disjointed, regularly confusing, packed to the brim with a pile of characters who are hard to keep track of, and it’s also kind of great. Why? Well, mostly because it features a hairy wife-murdering monster.

The film opens with a loony and speedy intro. We meet a young married couple whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Their driver attempts to fix the car, while the couple try for help at a nearby big, imposing house. From the moment they enter the creepy abode, it becomes clear that it’s haunted as fuck. A ghostly face of an angry ghost appears and tells them his story. This furious spirit is Thakur Jwala Prasad (Raza Murad). In a flashback we discover that Jwala was poisoned by his red-clad wife (Sheetal) on his wedding night. She married him for his money and ran off, cashed up, with her lover. Prasad’s angry soul lives on, killing any bride in red he comes across.

The spirit of Prasad chases the married couple out of his haunted house then WHAM! We cut to what appears to be a totally unrelated scene of a creepy guy (played by the face that haunted my childhood — Amrish Puri of Temple of Doom!) who has kidnapped a bride. He’s forcing himself upon the bride when suddenly he becomes possessed by Prasad’s evil spirit, which I guess just makes him extra evil? He was, after all, already a rapist. He turns into a hairy, long-armed monster and kills the bride by crushing her neck with his giant, hairy foot.

The terrified married couple see this go down and run away. The monster chases them, but they manage to escape. Hurray! Uh, but yeah… then they get on a train and the monster kills them. The murder scenes in Jaani Dushman are utterly insane and genuinely unsettling. The camera becomes a wild mess of wild angle lenses and fast cuts, and, while they’re not gory scenes, they’re pretty brutal and unpleasant.

So anyway, the bride’s dead, so is the creepy guy that Prasad possessed. Problem solved, right? NO! We’re only five minutes into the film! We then flash forward some kind of small amount of time. We’re thrown into the middle of some village drama where a local bride has just been kidnapped. No one knows what happened, but we do! It was the hairy bride-killing monster! We begin to meet all the important people in the village. There’s Thakur (Sanjeev Kumar), the benevolent dictator of the village who is considered a literal god by the idiotic villagers. There’s Thakur’s shit son, Shera (Shatrughan Sinha), who likes to molest women, and is confusingly presented as something of an anti-hero. There’s the very fun Reshma (Reena Roy), a sexy lady who cross dresses as a moustachioed man for reasons I didn’t understand. And, best of all, there’s Lakhan (Sunil Dutt), the village’s favourite cool guy and king of horse flips.

A whole bunch of brides start getting murdered left, right and centre, and a romantic tug-of-war between Lakhan and Shera with Reshma in the middle ensues. In-between all this nonsense we get goofy sketches with characters who I think we’re supposed to be blind acting stupid. There were long sequences in this where I honestly had no clue what was supposed to be going on. The film also breaks the fourth wall regularly.

Jaani Dushman acts like the identity of the killer is a mystery, but it flat out tells us very early on that Thakur, the village leader, is possessed with the evil Prasad. It shows him having a sweaty, mental breakdown seeing a bride in red, and we may even hear his inner thoughts clarifying that he is in fact possessed (I could be totally making that up… I can’t be bothered scanning through the two and a half hour running time to re-watch this bit). But nope, we get red herring after red herring, despite knowing full well who the killer is.

According to Wikipedia, Jaani Dushman ‘recorded as Super Hit at the box office.’ I don’t know what that means, but I guess it was a successful film. As messy as it is, it’s not hard to see why it might have been popular. It features a crazy big cast of Bollywood stars, the music is mostly great, the locations are lavish, and the horror is completely wild. There’s some wonderfully melodramatic moments (Reshma distracting Shera with a song and then holding him up at gunpoint), and a few twists that took me by surprise (even though they were largely irrelevant to the plot). And there’s a man wearing a silly monster suit and fangs strangling ladies to death. What more could you want?

Dave Jackson, Mondo Exploito

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Buy: Amazon.com

Further review:

“Compared to today’s Bollywood standards the film may seem technically outdated and jaded but keeping the late 70s in mind it was quite suitably placed in terms of technique: special effects (B. Gupta), make-up, costumes (Bhanu Athaiya, although men’s dresses were rather outlandish, sound (Mangesh Desai), editing (Shyam maintains continuity and ensures that the number of diversions from the main screenplay are kept minimum), stunts (Abdul Ghani) and cinematography. At times, art direction (Sant Singh) is tacky and patchy for scenes shot indoors. The dialogues by Inder Raj Anand add spice and flavour to the proceedings.” Aps Malhotra, TheHindu.com

Wikipedia | IMDb | Thanks to Dave Jackson at the highly-recommended website Mondo Exploito for allowing us to reproduce his review

Indian horror on Horrorpedia: 1920 | 1920: Evil Returns | Aatank | Aatma (2006) | Agyaat | Alone | Bandh Darwaza | Bach ke Zara | Bees Saal Baad | Bhoot Returns | Cape Karma |Dahshat | Darling | Darwaza (1978) | Dracula 2012 | Ek Thi Daayan | Horror Story | Khooni Panja | Ludo | Mahakaal |  Mallika | | Miruthan | Mumbai 125KM | Nagin | O Sthree Repu Raa! | The Other Side of the Door | Phoonk | Pizza | Purana Mandir | Purani Haveli | Pyasa Shaitan |  Qatil Chudail | Ragini MMS | Tahkhana | Vaastu Shastra | Veerana (1988)

‘He wants you out!’

Field Freak – also known as The Monster Outside – is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by Stephen Folker (The Orange Man).

The movie is available on a German Blu-ray release in English.

Main cast:

Dave Juehring, Trena Penson, Glenn Harston, Thomas Ely Sage, Tristan Coppola, Jim Nieciecki, Robert Kemp, Linden Clayborne, Amelia Atkinson.

Plot:

A family move into an abandoned cabin in Beaver Pelt Falls, Idaho. Charles (Dave Juehring) a former best selling writer, is desperately trying to pen his next book and needs a place free of distractions. Little does he know, his entire family is being watched. Strange bumps in the night escalate into a nerve wrecking encounter with the creature by Charles’s wife Linda (Trena Penson).

Things take a strange turn when they hire a psychotic, pest-control guy (Thomas Ely Sage) and are led to believe Rabid Beavers are to blame. It’s not until they visit a road side root beer distillery and meet a man named Ned Perkins (Glenn Harston), that they learn what the bumps in the night really are. According to Ned, they’re all going to die…

Reviews:

“Then there is the field freak itself. The name alone sounds kind of dumb. If you have a monster, you can surely think up a better name for it than field freak. Aside from that, the look of the creature is pretty bad. It looks like a guy dressed in a lower end Halloween costume of some sort of ape. Unrealistic fur, horrible mask, weird looking chest…” Jesse, HorrorNews.net

Choice dialogue:

Ned Perkins: “People came from 500 miles away to try his root beer. But there was somethin’ watchin’ us in dem woods dat day. Yes, there was. Just prowlin’ and growlin’.”

IMDb | Official synopsis

‘When they get the munchies… you get wasted!’

Pot Zombies is a 2005 American horror film directed by Justin Powers from a screenplay co-written with Joseph Amdahl, Chris Laster and Matt Powers. 

The film apparently came about as part of Lloyd Kaufman’s ‘Make Your Own Damn Movie’ project to encourage young filmmakers by donating to their meagre production budget.

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

In 2012, Powers made a belated sequel, Pot Zombies 2: More Pot, Less Plot.

Main cast: 

Scott Krakowski, Brandon Schuster, Henry Martin, Craig Crowell, Chris Laster, Matt Powers, Angelo Christian, Kim Yeakel, Starla Anderson, Amy Powers, Amy Brown.

Plot:

Radioactive weed turns people into zombies with the munchies for human flesh!

Reviews:

” …one big affectionate snicker at the parallels between potheads and zombies, however, we don’t get too many zingers throughout the film that specifically relate. Instead writer/producer/director Justin Powers uses the movie as a wobbly platform to splatter blood, make gruelling noises on the soundtrack, blare death metal during carnivorous sequences… ” Brian Abrams, High Times

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“I don’t judge people for trying to make their own film, regardless of how much money they have. What I do judge is a film full of incoherent scenes of Pot Zombies, no real plot and a feeling of very little thought being put into it.” Alec Pridgen, Mondo Bizarro

“Admittedly, the film has a certain Troma quality to it – boobs, tasteless gore, eye-rollingly bad humor, etc. And Lloyd Kaufman appears in two scenes as a retarded pizza delivery man, giving that added Troma feel. But, legitimate Troma productions also have narratives, fun cameos, and a shot of a blue car flipping over somewhere in New Jersey.” Brian W. Collins, Horror Movie a Day

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“With humour that sinks way below the level of a horny juvenile and gore that’s subpar, Pot Zombies fails to succeed even on the level of so-bad-it’s-good.” Shirley Halperin, Steve Bloom, Reefer Movie Madness: The Ultimate Stoner Film Guide

IMDb | Troma site

‘Revenge can be a bitch’

Even Lambs Have Teeth is a 2015 American exploitation revenge horror thriller written and directed by Terry Miles. It was produced by Liz Levine and Adrian Salpeter of Random Bench.

The film, which has been likened to Hard Candy, debuted on October 1, 2015, at the 6th annual Mile High Horror Film Festival. It is released on DVD in the UK on 13 June 2016 by Matchbox Films.

Main cast:

Kirsten Prout (My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 3; Joy Ride 3; Captured), Tiera Skovbye (Forever 16; Spooksville; Liar, Liar, Vampire), Michael Karl Richards (Supernatural), Craig March (They Nest; Dead of Night), Garrett Black, Jameson Parker, Christian Sloan (Blade: The Series; Black Christmas; The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1).

Plot:

Two young women are terrorised by a group of small town psychos but then take their revenge…

Reviews:

“With a lack of tension and low-feeling stakes, you’d think Even Lambs would be really, really dumb. It’s not. It’s clever without feeling like it’s trying too hard and it all just works … Even Lambs reaches a nice balance of human horror, dark comedy, and violent revenge flick. Usurping expectations while delivering a rowdy crowd-pleaser is a tough one. Even Lambs does it well.” Patrick Cooper, Bloody Disgusting

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“Katie and Sloane use their physical power to escape and then go on a Tarantino-esque style revenge killing spree on the corrupt individuals that inflicted sexual violence on the girls … Overall, the film was a fun watch full of gore, revenge and witty moments of comic relief.” Matthew Candelaria, Met Media

“The deaths are all warranted, and surprisingly, creatively awful, but you don’t focus on the violence, as much as you focus on the glorious revenge for the two young women. It’s fun, even if it is murder, which is something that isn’t easy to do. You applaud the ladies for being creative. You cheer for them when they tease their victims.” Jason, Delve

“Well made and well directed for the most part. Some of the acting is eh, but I could get past it. The real problem with this movie is that is it trying so hard to be a revenge exploitation film, but you hardly see any of the atrocities that call for revenge. And the revenge that does take place in the film has already been done before.” Hal Jarvis, Letterbxd

IMDb | Twitter | Tumblr | Random Bench

Coming Soon: new and future releases

‘Campfire stories can be deadly’

MoonStalker is a 1989 American satirical slasher horror film written and directed by Michael O’Rourke (Deadly Love; Hellgate). The synth score was by Douglas Pipes (Monster House; Trick ‘r Treat; Krampus).

Main cast:

Blake Gibbons, Ingrid Vold, John Marzilli, Tom Hamil, Jill Foors, Joe Balogh, Ann McFadden, Alex Wexler, Pamela Ross (Sorority House Massacre), Joseph Christopher, Sioux-z Jessup, Greg Mardon, Neil Kinsella.

Buy: Amazon.com

Plot:

A family’s mountain vacation is interrupted by the arrival of a dishevelled old man hauling a trailer behind an ancient Cadillac. Pop, as he calls himself, tells the family a tall tale about the son he lost to illness. The family feels sorry for him and befriends him . . . not knowing the danger that is soon to come to them.

In reality, his son Bernie is crazy, deranged and dangerous and kept straight-jacketed and chained up in Pop’s trailer. Pop lets Bernie out only to stalk and harm campers while Pop helps himself to their belongings.

Not far away, a group of young people are preparing for two weeks of wilderness training. The camp is run by authoritarian Regis, and his dominatrix girlfriend, Marcie (Ingrid Vold), who tells them that P.J., a new camper has disappeared…

Reviews:

“The primary actors in this one were just good enough to partially offset how dumb and overly familiar most of the rest of the movie is. Thanks to some decent dialogue, the characters here end up being less cardboard and far more likeable than in most similar films.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“Moonstalker isn’t a bad movie. It’s actually better than some of the weaker, yet better remembered slashers of the decade. However, it’s the one ill-fated decision to remove Bernie from any unique “costume” that is ultimately what makes the film forgettable.” Horror and Sons

“It might not be the most accomplished slasher flick, but – if you can find it –MoonStalker is one of the 1980s last hoorays for shot-on-film popcorn thrills, and is enough goofy fun for a winter’s evening. Just beware the full moon – and all that chunky knitwear.” Hysteria Lives!

Choice dialogue:

Bobby: “Wow! What a bitch! You think she’s a lesbian or something?”

Regis: “So, the guy doesn’t stop for hitchhikers? Doesn’t exactly make him Jack the Ripper, does it?”

Filming locations:

Near Carson City, Nevada, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Some girls just wanna have blood’

All Girls Weekend is a 2015 survival horror film co-produced, written and directed by Lou Simon (The Awakened; HazMat; Agoraphobia; 3). It was also co-produced by Jeff Burdett and Alan Hanna for White Lotus Productions.

A North American VOD release from Uncork’d Entertainment is due on July 12, 2016.

Main cast:

Jamie Bernadette (I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu; Axeman; The Bunnyman Massacre), Katie Carpenter (A Haunting; Room 511; The Malevolent), Gema Calero (HazMat; Agoraphobia), Sharron Calvin, Karishma Lakhani (It’s Supernatural) and Michele Gourdine (Dark Moon Rising).

Official synopsis:

“Childhood friends try to rekindle their friendship during a weekend in the mountains. Soon the women get lost and now, alone and hungry, they must battle the elements, each other, and an unforeseen force that is determined to stop them from leaving…”

Reviews:

“All Girls Weekend is a female driven story of human verses nature with otherworldy evil lurking on the horizon. Beautifully shot [by William Schweikert], expertly acted and featuring an ever evolving story of suspense, strife and gore, I was impressed. And it has a bear.” Horror Society

” … an enjoyably effective little shocker that might be a little diffuse when it comes to its actual threat (at least until the finale that is), but at the same time it’s a very well-structured story that is brought to life by a subtle directorial effort that gets the most out of its wintery surroundings, and its very colourful cast of fleshed out characters brought to life by a very solid cast of actors…” Mike Haberfelner, [Re]Search My Trash

“The story does seem to have elements of Cabin Fever, Evil Dead and The Descent but this mixed together comes off very well because we get to see the best parts all come through the story… Suspense driven horror that comes off with great effect.” Movie Reviews 101

“All Girls Weekend is quite different from Lou Simon’s first three films and that goes to show just how talented this filmmaker is and how much she has to offer. There are thrills, chills and scares to be had.” Patrick Ricketts, The Slaughtered Bird

Filming locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

IMDb | Facebook | Uncork’d Entertainment

Bloodbeat – aka Blood Beat – is a 1982 American supernatural slasher horror film written, edited and directed by Fabrice A. Zaphiratos. There is extensive use of classical music, but the original synth score was composed by director Fabrice A. Zaphiratos and Chris Zaphiratos.

The film stars Helen Benton, Terry Brown (Copycat), Dana Day, James Fitzgibbons, Claudia Peyton, Peter Spelson, Franck Miley, Carol Wagner, Charlie White.

Plot:

Deer-hunting country, deep in rural Wisconsin. At Christmas time, when her family have come to share the festive season, an artistic mother is possessed by the spirit of a Japanese samurai warrior…

Reviews:

“The wintry atmosphere is certainly welcome, and its chilly sense of dread and desolation offsets the more laughable qualities. Blood Beat is one of those concoctions that really shouldn’t work, and I’d say it should be the next breakout “bad movie” that’s set to be enjoyed in ironic, derisive fashion, but this one’s a legitimate blast that deserves to break through the obscuro-ranks.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

” … a mildly diverting slasher journey that’s perhaps a little unlucky to be so overlooked. At times taut and suspenseful, almost always intriguing and bizarrely bemusing to boot, Blood Beat isn’t that bad if you can find yourself a copy. It’s strange but bizarrely alluring.” Luisito Joaquín González, A Slash Above…

Buy: Amazon.com

“Bloodbeat is no work of operatic tragedy. Amateurish on all levels, it has more in common with the deer entrails Gary pulls out with his bare hands: messy, smelly, something you’d rather not see.” Rod Lott, Flick Attack

“Gore is minimal as Zaphiratos goes for weirdness through music (some classical), enigmatic characters and a sexual link between the sister and the spectral samurai.” John Stanley, Creature Features

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

” … fans of obscure trash, offbeat 80s slashers and bad cinema will find Bloodbeat entertaining – even lovable, everyone else should avoid it like the plague.” The Church of Splatter-day Saints

IMDb

‘Paranormal investigation. No experience necessary.’

Ghost Team is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed by Oliver Irving from a screenplay co-written with Peter Warren.

The film stars Jon Heder (Monster House; The Sasquatch Gang; A Monsterous Holiday), David Krumholtz (Addams Family Values), Melonie Diaz (The Belko Experiment), Paul W. Downs, Joel Marsh Garland (Witchblade), Justin Long (Jeepers Creepers and sequel; Drag Me to Hell; Yoga Hosers), Tom Schiller (Teenage Vampire Killers from Hell), and Amy Sedaris (Monsters vs, Aliens [TV series]).

The film is released as a Google Play exclusive on July 21st, with a US theatrical release on August 12th.

Official synopsis:

‘Louis is a regular guy. He runs a small print-and-copy shop in a Long Island strip mall. He drinks beer with his best buddy, Stan. He hunts for evidence that ghosts exist.

Believe it or not, Louis is normal, one of many thousands of people who consider themselves amateur ghost-hunters. It’s an escape from the drudgery of his daily routine and a reminder that there may be more to life than he knows.

When a customer walks into his print shop and mentions possible paranormal activity at an abandoned farm outside of town, Louis sees a chance to finally indulge his hobby for real. With the help of his depressed best friend, a fuck-up nephew, an overly-serious mall cop, a hack cable-access psychic, a whip-smart beautician and a van filled with amateur equipment, Louis is determined to catch some ghosts on film.

But poltergeists are the least of what the team finds in the abandoned McIntosh estate. What begins as a bumbling attempt to explore the farm soon becomes a hilarious and terrifying race to escape it alive…’

Filming locations:

Brooklyn and Brookhaven, Long Island, New York, USA

IMDb | Facebook

‘What you don’t see will kill you’

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead is a 2009 American horror film directed by Declan O’Brien (Rock Monster; Sharktopus; Joy Ride 3: Roadkill) from a screenplay by Connor James Delaney. It is the third instalment in the Wrong Turn film series.

The film stars Janet Montgomery (The Hills Run Red; Dead Cert; Black Swan; Salem), Tom Frederic, Chucky Venn, Tamer Hassan and Louis Cliffe.

Plot:

Alex (Janet Montgomery) and her friends Trey (Jack Gordon), Sophie (Louise Cliffe) and Brent (Charley Speed) go into the woods of West Virginia on a rafting trip. As they are camping, Alex’s friends are killed by Three Finger.

Two days later, a group of prisoners are being transferred to a distant prison. While driving, their bus is rammed by Three Finger’s truck and crashes in the woods, forcing them to continue on foot…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“The saddest thing about it is that at its core is a potentially interesting story. Cops teaming up with criminals and regular folks against a common enemy – sound like Assault on Precinct 13 a bit? … Instead we get the umpteenth journey through the woods, without any of the class of the original or splatter-y fun of the sequel.” Bloody Disgusting

“There is toplessness (of a hilariously gratuitous variety) within two minutes of the film’s opening, and a legion of gory deaths to follow – but there is also, alas, little here that we have not seen before … Yet amid all its man-traps, macho posturing and monetary moralising, this is an overfamiliar exercise in by-numbers filmmaking that always seems merely to be coasting on auto-pilot.” Anton Bitel, Eye for Film

“While there’s some creativity in the methods of death, the filmmakers decide to overload their gags with CGI gore, a strategy that pisses me off as I see it used more frequently in low-budget horror films … If gore is where you hope to make your name, divert some cash into the practical props line item.” David Johnson, DVD Verdict

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“It features a cast of actors who have a lot of episodes of The Bill on their CVs and has what appears to be a public park in Belgrade standing in for America. It’s dark. Presumably they thought the audience would be too drunk to notice. Its really, really dreadful.” Max Renn Blog

Cast and characters:

• Tom Frederic as Nate Wilson
• Janet Montgomery as Alex
• Gil Kolirin as Floyd
• Christian Contreras as William Juarez
• Jake Curran as Crawford
• Tom McKay as Brandon
• Chucky Venn as Walter
• Tamer Hassan as Carlos Chavez
• Louise Cliffe as Sophie
• Jack Gordon as Trey
• Charley Speed as Brent
• Borislav Petrov as Three Toes
• Borislav Iliev as Three Finger
• Mike Straub as Preslow
• Bill Moody as Sheriff Calvin Carver
• Emma Clifford as Deputy Ally Lane
• Mac McDonald as Warden Ladew
• Todd Jensen as U.S. Marshal
• Vlado Mihailov as U.S. Marshal Davis

Filming locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Based on true events’

Cyrus – aka – Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer is a 2010 American horror thriller film written, produced and directed by Mark Vadik. It is also known as Cyrus: The Highway Killer.

It stars Brian Krause (Coffin Baby; Poseidon Rex; Camel Spiders), Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead; Stung; Hollows Grove) and Danielle Harris (Camp Dread; Hatchet II and III; Stake Land).

Contrary to the statement on the film’s publicity material, the film is not based a true story. However director Mark Vadik has claimed that elements of the plot were inspired by Fritz Haarmann, the “Butcher of Hanover” who terrorised boys and men in post-WWI Germany, a killer who was also the basis for M (1931) among other films.

Plot:

An independent TV reporter and her cameraman interview a man (Lance Henriksen) in regards to a serial killer the man knew by the name of Cyrus. The man traces back through the story of the serial killer and why he became the monster he is.

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“There’s some slasher and torture bits, some macabre dark humor (at least I think we’re supposed to chuckle at Cyrus’s oblivious patrons eating a mysterious meat called “road kill”), and the usual serial killer psychosis. It’s also a slickly produced film rather than being obliquely grim, which means Cyrus falls somewhere between being genuinely disturbing and unusually entertaining.” Brett Gallman, Oh, the Horror!

“There is enough gore to entertain the horror fans but it doesn’t go overboard and steers away from being gratuitous. There are also scenes interspersed throughout the film that are interviews with psychologists and doctors that look at serial killers from a medical standpoint and gives facts when they are heard are frightening and real.” Corey Danna, HorrorNews.net

“Vadik doesn’t put a foot wrong here. Its a fine, modest little film that will please fans and non fans of the sub genre alike. It perhaps veers to close to the dreaded ‘torture’ style of horror on occasion, but never truly crosses the line into exploitation. Its violent and has some scenes I’d rather forget, but much of the horrific stuff is left to the viewers imagination.” Kyle Scott, The Horror Hotel

“It’s got issues, but everyone is putting effort into doing something different, and it never gets too dull or repetitive thanks to the unusual structure. And any movie that gives Lance and Danielle (plus Tiffany Shepis, in a brief, almost unrecognizable role as Cyrus’ despicable mother) something different to do is worth a look for genre fans.” Brian W. Collins, Horror Movie a Day

Interview with director Mark Vadik on Dread Central

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Cast and characters:

• Brian Krause as Cyrus
• Danielle Harris as Maria
• Lance Henriksen as Emmett
• Wylie Allen as Young Cyrus
• Patricia Belcher as Maybelle
• Sam Brilhart as Young Emmett
• Rae Dawn Chong as Vivian
• Jeff Christian as Sherriff
• Regina Daniels as Victim Girl #2
• Ben Dubash as Trooper Davis
• Zachary Christopher Fay as Joseph
• Corey Gibbons as Greg
• Andrew Gregg as Salesman
• Doug Jones as Dr. Albert
• Anne Leighton as Vicky
• Trevor Luce as Luke
• Mike McNamara as Rick
• Valerie Meachum as Tanny
• Aris Mendoza as Tina
• Bill Miller as John
• Tanya Newbould as Molly
• Paul Preiss as Katz
• Kim Rhodes as Dr. Dallas
• Jill Sandmire as Amber
• Tiffany Shepis as Cyrus’s Mother
• Michael Steen as Warden
• Shawna Waldron as Chloe
• Tony Yalda as Tom

Filming locations:

Niles and Three Oaks, Michigan, USA

Buy: Amazon.com

Wikipedia | IMDb

 

The Stakelander is a 2016 American vampire horror film and the sequel to the 2010 hit, Stake Land. The new film was directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Body). Nick Damici and Connor Paolo are reprising their roles.

Also starring are Laura Abramsen, AC Peterson, Bonnie Dennison (Beneath), Kristina Hughes and Steven Williams (TV’s Supernatural).

The film was was produced by Peter Phok and Larry Fessenden of Glass Eye Pix, Greg Newman of Dark Sky Films and co-produced by the Syfy Channel, where it will premiere.

Filming locations:

Saskatchewan, Canada

‘This road has no fairy tale ending’

YellowBrickRoad is a 2010 American horror film written and directed by Jesse Holland (The Crooked Man) and Andy Mitton (The Vermont House; We Go On; Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear). It has also been released as Vanished.

Main cast:

Cassidy Freeman (Fender Bender; The Vampire Diaries), Anessa Ramsey (Death Race 2050; Southbound; Rites of Spring), Laura Heisler, Clark Freeman, Lee Wilkof, Alex Draper, Tara Giordano, Michael Laurino, Sam Elmore.

Plot:

A film crew has traveled to the town of Friar, New Hampshire, to finally travel a trail known only via the horrific stories that surround it. In 1940 the entire town of Friar, 572 people, abandoned their town and walked into the wilderness with only the clothes on their back after a viewing of The Wizard of Oz, a film that the entire town was obsessed with.

No-one has ever been able to explain why they did this, especially since only 300 of the townspeople’s bodies were recovered. Of those 300, some had frozen to death in the elements while others were killed in horrific and bloody ways.

When the trail’s coordinates are declassified, crew leader Teddy gains access to the coveted information via Friar’s cinema. His goal is to finally answer the questions surrounding the disappearances and deaths, as well as what lies at the end of the trail…

Reviews:

“By building suspense through this combination of character, setting and story, Mitton, Holland and Hardwick focus on allowing audiences to easily lose themselves in the endless wilderness … The film’s cryptic, metaphoric ending will no doubt frustrate and confuse many viewers, and spark endless online debate. Even with this drawback, the movie is still quite engrossing, with some of the most unsettling scenes since The Exorcist and The Shining. It’s truly spooky.” Scott David, Meet in the Lobby

“The last half of the film really makes good use of music and sound to build effect and unsettle the viewer … The constant sound and scratching of the needle against the record really has an effect on the nerves and makes the silences deafening. This is a little more on the cerebral side of horror with a few moments of disturbing images, made all the more disturbing by their abrupt nature, this is a film well worth the watch.” The Geek Girl Project

” … the camera shakes, and they begin attacking each other, like that Star Trek episode where the Enterprise crew is infected by a virus and they all go nuts. But at least that had a shirtless Sulu sword fighting. Yellowbrickroad is without personality. It’s competently made, but the cast and direction are just bland.” G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle

“If they go back and make a better ending … I could see this being a cult favorite of sorts … The unknown actors are pretty good, the story is interesting, and it has minor doses of unexpected humor (their reactions to a broken GPS are pretty hilarious). And again, it has a guy tearing someone’s leg off. So, worth a look.” Brian Collins, Horror Movie a Day

“YellowBrickRoad is a fresh original update of the backwoods horror film. It’s one that begs to be seen in a large theater, projected with terrific surround sound. Both Mitton and Holland are self professed fans of horror, and though this film begs to break the bounds of the genre I would certainly hope to see them return to horror to craft yet another original terrifying film.” Deaditor, Brutal as Hell

“Underwhelming finish explains zilch, but good perfs, atmospherics and use of backwoods locations make Yellowbrickroad an intriguing cipher.” Dennis Harvey, Variety

Cast and characters:

Cassidy Freeman as Erin Luger
Anessa Ramsey as Melissa Barnes
Laura Heisler as Liv McCann
Clark Freeman as Daryl Luger
Lee Wilkof as Clerk / Usher
Alex Draper as Walter Myrick
Tara Giordano as Jill
Michael Laurino as Teddy Barnes
Sam Elmore as Cy Banbridge

Filming Locations:

Lancaster, New Hampshire, USA

Wikipedia | IMDb

‘Live in horror die in fear’

Mind Ripper – aka Wes Craven Presents Mind Ripper – is a 1995 American horror film directed by Joe Gayton from a screenplay by Jonathan Craven and Phil Mittleman. The film’s working title was The Outpost.

Although originally conceived as a possible sequel to the original The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and The Hills Have Eyes Part II (1984), this concept was dropped during the two year development stage. Jonathan Craven told Fangoria‘s Dave Hughes: “I would love to see those characters come back, but we felt they deserved their own film and that Thor deserved his own.”

Nonetheless, in some markets it was released as The Hills Have Eyes III and The Hills Still Have Eyes, despite the fact that no actors, characters, or scenarios link it to those films except the desert setting.

Main cast:

Lance Henriksen, Claire Stansfield (Darkdrive), Giovanni Ribisi (The Grave), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Vampires: Los Muertos; Urban Legend; Modern Vampires), John Diehl (Apartment 1303; Jurassic Park III; Lost Souls), Gregory Sporleder, John Apicella, Dan Blom [as Thor], Adam Solomon, Peter Shepherd.

Plot:

Set in a remote desert location, government scientists perform reanimation experiments in an underground nuclear facility. The goal is to create a superhuman. Their first subject, “Thor,” is a specimen from a suicide found in the desert. In the attempts to bring Thor back, an uncontrollable creature is unleashed.

The fragile family unit of Stockton (Lance Henriksen), daughter Wendy (Natasha Gregson Wagner), and son Scott (Giovanni Ribisi), preparing for a visit to the desert. Stockton is a former participating scientist of the experiments. Upon arrival, Stockton finds the current scientists still continuing with their work.

Thor is awakened, and the facility goes into lockdown status. Trapped inside as prey for their creation, the scientists and Stockton’s family must defeat Thor or escape from an impenetrable post. As they are picked off by Thor’s hunger for a chemical derived from human brains, their means of survival diminishes…

Reviews:

“There’s action aplenty that may occasionally cause you to move a couple of inches closer to the edge of your armchair, and there’s even some pretty graphic gore (but no sex as you may have guessed, and if you’re looking for laughs, forget it!), but there’s really just one problem with Mind Ripper… It’s just so f*cking AVERAGE!!!” Wayne Southworth, The Spinning Image

“Although the visuals are pretty great, giving you some special effects that will make you squirm, the plot is old and tiring, offering nothing new or interesting. After about twenty minutes when you realize what kind of movie this actually is, you’ll find yourself waiting for the characters to die rather than be involved in what’s happening in the story.” The Goon, Lost Highway

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

“Unsurprisingly, Henriksen is the sole reason to see this picture. He once again makes good use of poor material, drawing the attention throughout. The Terminator and Aliens veteran also manages to say his dialogue in a believable manner, while others cause laughter with their stilted portrayals. At least Stansfield provides some eye candy, and male viewers will be happy to know that she steps into the shower within the first 10 minutes.” D. J. Nock, The Digital Fix

” … had a lot more action than I expected, the storyline (albeit clichéd) was interesting, and there was a darker atmosphere woven into the pacing. Yes, the lower budget is apparent, the performances are uneven, and there is really nothing new crafted inside the cliché moments, but it is still a fun way to spend a few minutes passing time with a low budget creature feature…” Mark Mihalko, The Ringmaster’s Realm

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Cast and characters:

• Lance Henriksen as Stockton
• Claire Stansfield as Joanne
• John Diehl as Alex
• Natasha Gregson Wagner as Wendy Stockton
• Gregory Sporleder as Rob
• Giovanni Ribisi as Scott Stockton
• Dan Blom as Thor
• Adam Solomon as Mark
• John Apicella as Larry
• Peter Shepherd as Frank

Filming locations:

Sofia, Bulgaria
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: ICMD.com |  The Ringmaster’s Realm